Car-fender.



No. 658,854. Patented Oct. 2, I900.

- n. LUTZENKIRCHEN.

G A R F E N D E B (Application filed r b. 14, 1900.

(No Model.)

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7 NITFED STAT S PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY LUTZENKIRCHEN, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOOAMILLO L. FISCHER, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-FENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 658,854, dated October2, 1900.

Application filed February 14, 1900. Serial No. 5,137- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, HENRY LUTZENKIROHEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inOar-Fenders, of which the following is a specification;

This in vention relates to a fender which has a part that isautomatically thrust forward when necessary to catch and retain a bodyinits path.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple fender which is soconstructed that the movable part will not be thrust forward unless abody falls upon the fender.

The novel feature of the fender which embodies this invention is thelocking arrangement which restrains the movable part in such manner thatitis only released by weight upon the fender, so that the mere hittingof an obstruction, as a stone or a collision with another vehicle, doesnot cause the fender to operate, but the projecting of a body onto thefender causes it to so act that the body cannot roll off in front.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a side view of a fender thatembodies the invention. Fig. 2 shows a plan of the fender. Fig. 3 is anenlarged sectional view showing the lock which holds the movable partuntil weight is brought upon the fender. Fig. 4 is a detail showing theconnection between the supporting-arms and the frame, and Fig. 5 is adetail showing the method of connecting the rods with the striking barof the fender.

The arms 1 are adapted to be fixed to the end of the car-platform, andthe side bars 2 of the frame are pivotally connected with these arms bya rod 3. These bars curve downwardly and forwardly and at the front endare joined by a bar 4. The exact position of the lower end of the frameis adjusted by means of the set-bolts 5, that turn in lugs (3, extendingbackward from the upper ends of the side bars of the frame, which boltsagainst the under edges of the fixed arms.

A tube 7 is hinged to the pivot-rod 3 near each side of the frame, andbetween these tubes 7 a number of smaller tubes 8 are hinged to the rod.These tubes are joined at the lower ends by a bar 9 andare curvedsubstantially the same as the side bars of the frame. Springs 10 aresecured to the framebar 4 near each side, so as to press upwardlyagainst the tubes 7 and hold up the lower ends of the tubes and the bar9 with a yielding pressure. The upward movement of the tubes is limitedby lugs 11, extending from the side bars 2 of the frame.

Movable in the tubes 7 are rods 12, and movable in the smaller tubes 8are rods 13. These rods, which curve the same as the tubes, are fastenedto the bar 14, that extends across the front of the frame. In the largetubes 7, back of the ends of the rods 12, springs are arranged to thrustthe rods outwardly.

Fixed to and extending rearwardly from the middle of the tube-bar 14 isa hook 16. Fixed to and extending forwardly from the frame-bar 4 is ahook 17. The shoulders of these hooks so engage when the outer ends ofthe tubes are held raised by the springs 10 that the rods cannot beforced forwardly out of the tubes by the springs 15.

Under ordinary circumstances the springs 10, attached to the front barof the frame, thrusting upwardly against the side tubes 7, hold thefrontend of the hinged tubular portion of the frame up against the lugs11. With the front end of the hinged tubular part of the frame heldraised the hook attached to the fixed frame-bar engages and holds thehook attached to the movable or striking bar in such manner that thesprings, which are compressed in the larger tubes, cannot throw the rodsand striking-bar forwardly. Any backward blow or pressure upon the bar14, as striking a timber or stone or collision with a vehicle orhittinga bod that is at once thrown to one side, will not cause thehooks to be disengaged. However,should the body of a person or any otheranimal or any obstruction be struck and precipitated upon the fender andthe weight of the object come upon the hinged tubular frame, which is bythe springs held slightly above the fixed frame, that weight willsodepress the front end of the tubular frame that the hook on thestriking-bar will be forced down away from the fixed hook on theframe-bar, releasing the striking-barand allowing the springs to throwforwardly the movable part of the fender. The tubes are so shaped thatwhen the striking-bar and its rods are thrown forward they curveupwardly in such manner that they will hold the object picked up.

By means of this simple construction a fender is provided that willordinarily project buta short distance in front of a car and one thatwill not he released to pick up a body unless the bodyisthrown so as tofall in front of the ear upon the fender.

I claim as my invention- 1. A fender having a frame adapted to be fixedto a car, a frame hinged to the fixed frame and adapted to be depressedby weight brought upon it, a frame movably supported by the hingedframe, springs tending to thrust the movable frame forwardly from thehinged frame, and a lock arranged to hold the movable frame with thesprings compressed until the hinged frame is depressed, substantially Ias specified.

2. A fender having a frame adapted to be fixed to a car, a frame hingedto the fixed frame and adapted to be depressed by Weight brought uponit, aframe movably supported by the hinged frame, springs tending tothrust the movable frame forwardly from the hinged frame, a hookextending from the fixed frame, and a hook extending from the movableframe in such manner that they normally engage and hold the movableframe with the springs compressed until the hinged frame is depressed,subsrautially as specified.

3. A fender having a frame adapted to be fixed to a car, a tubular framehinged to the fixed frame and adapted to be depressed by weight upon it,rods movably supported by the tubular frame, a striking-bar secured tothe outer ends of the rods, springs located in tubes tending to thrustthe rods and strikingbar forwardly from the tubular frame, and a lockarranged to hold the strikingbar and rods with the springs compresseduntil the tubes are depressed, substantially as specified.

4. 'A fender having a frame adapted to be fixed to a car, a tube hingedto the fixed frame near each side, tubes hinged to the fixed framebetween the side tubes, a bar connecting the outer ends of the tubes,rods extending into the tubes, a striking-bar connecting the outer endsof the rods, springs in the side tubes tending to thrust the rods andstriking-bar forwardly from the tubes, and a lock arranged to hold thestriking-bar and the rods with the springs compressed until the tubesare depressed, substantially as specified.

5. A fender having a frame adapted to be fixed to a car, a tube hingedto the fixed frame near each side, 1 ubes hinged to the fixed framebetween the side tubes, at bar connecting the outer ends of the tubes,springs lifting the outer ends of the tubes and the tube-bar, rodsextending into the tubes, a striking-bar connecting the outer ends ofthe rods, springs in tubes tending to thrust the rods and strikingbarforwardly from the tubes, and a lock arranged to hold the striking-barand rods with the springs compressed until the tubes are depressed,substantially as specified.

6. A fender having a frame adapted to be fixed to a car, a frame hingedto the fixed frame, a frame movably supported by the hinged frame,springs tending to thrust the movable frame forwardly from the hingedframe, springs tending tolift the hinged frame and the movable frame,and a lock holding the movable frame when the hinged frame is raised andreleasing the movable frame when the hinged frame is depressed,substantially as specified.

HENRY LUTZENKIRCHEN.

Witnesses:

HARRY R. WILLIAMS, F. G. HOLCOMBE.

